More than a year ago, my friend Claire asked me if I’d be up for a slightly unusual commission; her brother was coming up to his 50th birthday and she wanted a different present to mark the occasion. It was a little out of my comfort zone but I was curious to try, and it ended up being great fun!
Here’s Claire to tell you about it in her own words.
What do you get the man who has everything?
My ‘little’ brother and I have always been close. For birthdays that end with a ‘0’, I make a special effort to get him a memorable and unusual present – and hopefully something that he will love! As his 50th approached, I was a bit stumped until a random conversation triggered an idea.
“If you owned a pub, what would you call it?”
This question prompted various ideas and jokes for assorted vocational and hobby-related pub names. (For the record, my pub will be called the “The Spy’s Trunk”). The conversation stayed with me for a few days until, suddenly, I had one of those ‘ta-da!’ moments. I should probably explain that my brother trained as an architect, has two dogs that he loves and enjoys a good walk in the Welsh mountains near his home. My ‘ta-da!’ was that his pub should be called “The Dog & Compass” and that the pub sign would be double-sided, each face with a different dog and different compass. The perfect and unique birthday present, I thought!
Now I only had two hurdles. First, fortunately, his wife loved the idea and was – tentatively – prepared to give the result house room (she is an interior designer, so the bar was set pretty high!). Secondly, I just needed an artist and some talented people to actually make the thing… you can see where I’m going with this!
Cue Sue
Sue and I try to get out and walk our dogs together when we can so it was on one of these walks that I first pitched her the idea. Could she create me individual portraits of two dogs that would need to have some ‘props’ added in? Of course, the portraits wouldn’t be a problem, but the props might need some thinking about. I went home and did a dodgy photoshop mock-up of what I had in mind to show her… And so, willing to rise to the challenge, Sue took the project on.
This was the original photo of my brother’s dogs that I sent Sue to work on:
After two or three background ideas, Sue suggested some options but we decided on a plain dark background with props so it’s less busy. Sue cleverly added a map (of Wales) and a walking compass to the picture of Seren, and Tobi is sitting on an architectural plan and a drawing compass: I was thrilled with the results!
A little help from some friends
Sue sent me both artworks – iPet drawings – and I had fun playing in Photoshop to add appropriate text. (We grew up in Romsey so of course the pub sign would mention Strong’s Brewery!) After several attempts – and teaching myself a bit more about what Photoshop is capable of – I was happy with the result of my additions.
Next up, Ainslie, the Print Lady and fellow dog-lover. She arranged to have both artworks printed on exterior grade sticky-backed plastic. Fortunately, she’d done one extra copy as well so we could practice the next stage…
My Dad has always enjoyed woodwork and for a long time has made picture frames for family pictures and paintings. But a double-sided picture frame? That was a new challenge for him, too. I don’t fully understand the technical wood-workery of it all but, from his garage full of big boys toys, he produced the back board and frame. (Frame recycled from his old mahogany conservatory as it happens; he rarely throws useful wood away!).
Together, we carefully unpeeled the sticky-backed portraits and smoothed them over the boards. (Imagine trying to cover a very large exercise book without getting any bubbles in it and you’ve got the idea!) That having gone smoothly, Dad was able to fix the frame on with nanomillimetres to spare, it was such a precise make. Phew! Present ready.
A delightful result
For my brother’s birthday, we had arranged a family long weekend away so the pub sign was discreetly hidden in the boot of the car, under the luggage, ready for the big reveal over the weekend (and a bottle of bubbles).
When the time came, my brother took a moment to take them in, realise what it all meant – and for the first time in my life, he was actually lost for words! The images were so good that, at first look, he thought they were just enlarged photos but quickly realised they were unique artworks in their own right.
I am delighted to report that the sign has been given house room. My brother – taking after Dad – has invented a device that allows the sign to hang flat against the wall but easily pivot so you can turn it round to see both sides. (We joke that whichever dog has misbehaved last faces the wall!) It is definitely a talking point in his dining room – and gives me 10 years to come up with an idea to top that for his 60th birthday!
Fantastic job, Sue! Thank you – couldn’t have done it without you!
Claire
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